Thursday, February 12, 2015

This recommendation is brought to you by Rachel Leigh Smith.When Sam Keller left the military, she ran to the far end of the galaxy. Now she captains the Bonnie Belle, a spaceship full of courtesans who bring a little pleasure to hard-up men on mining colonies. When one of her girls turns up dead, it's Sam's job to find out who killed her, fast.Marshal Daniel LeClair is as tough as steel and quick on the draw. But when his vacation gets replaced by an assignment to help find the killer, he can't help angling for a little action with the saucy, hard-charging Sam. She's got brains, attitude and a body he wouldn't mind investigating.Sam, six months lonely, might just indulge him. But the Guild that owns the Belle wants the case closed yesterday. With pressure coming from all quadrants, Sam and her marshal clash over false leads and who's on top. But when the killer threatens the Belle again, romance will have to wait. It's a captain's job to save her crew, no matter the cost.

The world Nantus has built in this series is at once relatable and different. Female fans of Firefly should love this.

The mystery aspect of the book was easy for me to figure out. It's a rare author who can keep me guessing as to who-dun-it for more than four chapters. It did allow for a lot of exploring of courtesan daily life and how they operate, though, without being all about sex. Major props for that!

The AI's on each ship were also done very well, Etts, Daniel's AI, in particular. Etts was a hoot! I also enjoyed the way Nantus wrapped it up with neither MC having to leave behind what they're doing.